Folder



.Oct. 11, 1938.

W. D. GOODWIN FOLDER Filed July 2, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- William D. 60001 wiry yomwsys.

WI TNESSES:

Oct. 11, 1938.

WITNESSES:

W. D. GOODWIN FOLDER Filed July 2, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: Will/2am 11600011111111 ATTORNEYS.

Get. 11', 1938.

w. D. GOODWIN 2,133,225

FOLDER Filed July 2, 1957 3 SheetsSheet 3 c ov ii WITNESSES:

v INVENTOR- 2/ M William D. Goodwin fl I By ZZTTOR/VEYS.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FOLDER Application July 2, 1937, Serial No. 151,616

5 Claims.

My invention relates to folders, and especially to a folder for infolding the edges or margins of a strip of fabric into a form suitable for the center plait of a shirt front or the like, with inclusion of a reinforcing strip in the infolded margins, if desired. In my folder, the guidance of the fabric extends to and even beyond the point where the infolding of the fabric edges and their engagement with the reinforcing strip (if used) are completed, controlling the delivery of the completed center plait formation as desired, preferably substantially into the very plane of feed of the machine in which the folded fabric is sewed. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a species or form of embodiment, and from the drawings. I have here illustrated and explained the invention as embodied in a folder of the general type represented by U. S. Patents No. 1,664,079, March 27, 1928, Mann, and No. 1,765,169, June 1'7, 1930, Mann, where the folder is shown associated with two-needle sewing machines for sewing the completed center plait as it comes from the folder.

In the drawings,

Fig. I is a tilted or perspective view of a reinforced center plait stitched to a body fabric, with a section-like edge-on view of the fabrics.

Fig. II is a tilted or perspective view of a center plait folder embodying the invention, with portions broken out to show the internal construction and configuration.

Fig. III shows the folder in longitudinal section, associated with parts of a sewing machine and with a cooperating body fabric folder.

Fig. IV is a bottom plan view of the center plait folder.

Fig. V shows a cross-section of the folder, taken as indicated by the line and arrows VV in Fi IV.

Fig. VI is a side view of a sewing machine equipped with my folder and with a cooperating body fabric folder.

As shown in Fig. I, the center plait formation p consists of a strip of fabric with its margins or edge portions folded inward at m, m and secured by parallel seams or rows of stitches s, S. In this formation p is preferably included a reinforcing strip of fabric 1', with its edges extending substantially to the very creases of the folds m, m, and secured by the stitches s, S. As here shown, the stitches s, S also secure this center plait p to a width of fabric b, adapted to form part of the body of a garment. The margin or edge portion of this fabric b is folded up and in.-

ward at c, and is included in the seam S. Such a construction can readily be sewed on a twoneedle sewing machine of any commercial type whose needles can be suitably spaced.

My folder A for forming the (reinforced) center plait p is illustrated in detail in Figs. II, III, IV, and V, being shown as of sheet metal construction. As a whole, it is arranged on a downwardslope from right to left toward the associated sewing machine, and curves in that direction: i. e., its curvature is convex upward. At its delivery end, however, it has a reverse cur- Vature, so that the fabric is bent substantially into the plane of feed of the sewing machine within the folder,-instead of outside it, as is the case with prior devices. I

For the main outer fabric strip 1, there is a main guideway F of flat tubular character. At its mouth It], the spaced apart lower and upper walls ll, I2 of this main guideway F are straight to its full width,-so that the mouth opening is in effect a straight, narrow slit with rounded corners. The lower or inner wall H is shown as projecting some distance beyond the upper or outer wall l2, with upstanding sides I3, while the upper wall i2 is formed into an upstanding lip M, with beaded edge. Substantially at the mouth (as defined by the lip [4), the upper and lower guideway walls start to bend downward just inside the corners; as shown at M and as readily to be understood from an examination of Figs. II, III, and IV. Proceeding alongthe guideway F to the left from the lip M, the angle of these bends l5, i6,'of the inner and outer walls H, l2 increases, and the locations of the bends shift further and further inward toward the center line of the folder; so that as the fabric 1 travels through this guideway F, its margins m are progressively turned downward and inward, through a greater and greater angle, and to a greater and 40 greater width: see Figs-II and IV, and compare with one another the cross-sections shown in Figs. II and V. At the lower left-hand end of the main guideway F, as shown in Figs. II and V, the margins m, m of the fabric f are folded almost 4;) flat against the intermediate portion of this strip 1 substantially parallel therewith. As shown in Fig. II, there are longitudinal central slots ll, 18 in the walls I I, H, to facilitate threading fabric through the folder A.

For the inner reinforcing fabric stripr, there is an inner (or lower) guideway R of flat tubular character directly beneath the mainguideway F, with its rounded corners in the bends I5 of the 10We1. Wall ll of the main guideway. As here 55 shown, this lower or inner wall ll of the main guidway F forms the upper wall and the corners l9 of the inner guideway R, while the lower wall 28 of said inner guideway R is formed by a sheet metal plate with its edges secured (as by hard solder) to the inbent portions of the lower wallplate II. By virtue of its bends at I6, the outer wall I 2 embraces the edgesof the inner wall II and the inner guideway R, and of the fabric strip ,with portions of said outer wall lying at opposite sides of the inner Wall,all as shown in Fig.

V. As shown in Figs. II, III, IV, and VI, a guide plate 2| with a transverse guide slot 22 and a diagonal rounded guide edge 23 for the fabric strip r is attached to the lower Wall plate 28 of the guideway R, as by screws 24. Extending up around the edge of the plate 2i, down through the slot 22, then transversely of the folder at the lower side of the plate, the strip rbends up around the diagonal edge 23, thus in effect making a 90 turn from its original direction into the guideway R. This guide-plate 2| is here shown as substantially like that illustrated in Patent No. 1,765,169 to Mann,'already referred to. While too wide for the fabric-strip r initially, the inner guideway R gradually narrows to a width just sufficient for this strip 1' when fiat, or even a little insuificient. However, the strip r may be itself contracted in width near the (lower) delivery end of the inner guideway, by a downward convex curvature or bend at of the wall I! extending across its full width, and preferably associated with a similar concave curvature of the bottom wall 20. p This transverse curvature at 25 starts a short distance back and gradually increases to the end of the inner guideway in Figs. II and V. As will be understood from a comparison of Figs. II and V, the curvature at 25 displaces the middle of the fabric strip- 1 downward, and thus draws in its edges slightly out of contact with the corners I9 of the inner guideway. The result of this is that both fabrics f and 1" travel easily to and beyond the end 21 of the inner guideway R as shown in Figs, II, III, and V, without any tightness or binding. Just a little beyond the inner guideway end 21, the strip 1" quickly expands to its full natural width, so that its edges engage the fabric 1 at the very bottom of the creases of its folded margins m, m.

It will be seen from Figs. II and III that the inner guideway R as constituted by the walls H and 20 terminates short of the ends of the outer guideway wall I 2 with'its underbent under portions 23, which may be united by soldering.

In other words, the outer guideway F is supplemented with a further flat tubular guideway P for the completed center plait formation p, this further guideway P being formed by extension of the outer wall l2 beyond the inner walls II and 20. The further guideway P transmits the folded fabric stripjwith its margins m, m substantially parallel to its intermediate portion, but Without any part of the folder structure intervening. It is while the center plait p is traveling through this further guideway P, with its folds at m, m still confined in the latter, that the strip 7' is allowed to expand to full width into said folds, as above described.

As shown in Figs. II and III, this further guideway P has an upward bend at 29, which brings its delivery mouth substantially or nearly into the acts to expand the reinforcing strip 1' into the I plait p as shown in Fig. 1. Such an edge-folder B is well-known, and hence requires no description.

For mounting the center-plait folder A adjacent a sewing machine as shown in Fig. VI, the folder may have av bracket 30 attached to the lower side of its bottom wall 28, with a transversely channeled plate 3| secured thereto by screws 32, and provided with a set-screw 33. A bracket plate is attached to the sewing machine head 36 by means of clamping screws 31 extending through slots 38. An arm 40 is pivoted to the bracket plate 35 at 4|, to swing up and down in a vertical plane parallel with the line of feed. In a laterally projecting lug 42 on the arm 48 is a stop-screw 43 for engaging the upper edge of an arm 45 on the bracket plate 35, and to the arm 40 is attached a bracket 45 that includes a horizontal bar portion 41 which engages in the channel of the plate 3| on the folder A. The bracket arm 45 has a clamp screw 48 that lies in a notch 49 in the arm 48 and serves to fix the latter rigid with the bracket plate 35 when desired. The bracket 46 may be attached to the arm 48 by an adjustable clamp screw and slot connection 50, which permits the folder A to be adjusted up and down when desired.

The setscrew 33 in the folder-plate 3| permits of adjusting the folder A transversely of the line of feed and stitching, and the screws 31 in the slots 38 of the bracket plate 35 allow of adjusting the folder parallel with the line of feed. The stop-screw 43 affords a delicate up and down adjustment of the folder A, and the screw 48 when loosened allows the folder to be swung up out of the way, when not in use. B for the body-fabric may be secured to the work support 52 of the sewing machine with the usual provision (not shown) for its adjusment transversely of the line of feed. By the adjustments above described, the folder A can be accurately set in any desired position relative to the sewing machine'needles 53 and presser foot 54,being shown in Fig. VI close in under the upturned toe of the presser foot, with the edge-folder B directly under it. When the folder A is swung up out of the way after loosening the screw 48, the

adjustments are not lost, but remain undisturbed when the folder is swung back to operative position as shown in Fig. VI.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A center plait folder for a sewing machine comprising a guideway for a center plait strip including an inner wall at one side of said strip and an outer wall spaced from said inner wall and embracing the edges of said inner wall, with portions at both sides of the latter, for infolding the margins of the center plait strip toward and substantially parallel with the intermediate portion thereof; and a further guideway forming a prolongation of the aforesaid outer wall beyond the inner wall for transmitting the thus folded center plaitstrip, without any portion of the folder structureinervening between its infolded margins and its intermediate portion.

The edge folder 2. A center plait folder for a sewing machine comprising a guideway for a center plait strip including an inner wall at one side of said strip and an outer wall spaced from said inner wall and embracing the edges of said inner wall, with portions at both sides of the latter, for infolding the margins of the center plait strip toward and substantially parallel with the intermediate portion thereof; and a further guideway forming a prolongation of the aforesaid outer wall beyond the inner wall for transmitting the thus folded center plait strip, without any portion of the folder structure intervening between its infolded margins and its intermediate portion, said further guideway bending upward beyond said inner wall,

' spaced from said inner wall but embracing the edges of the inner guideway, with portions at both sides of the latter, for infolding the margins of the center plait strip around the edges of the reinforcing strip; and a further guideway forming a prolongation of the aforesaid outer wall of the outer guideway beyond the inner wall of the latter and the delivery end of the inner guideway, for transmitting the thus folded center plait strip with the margins of the reinforcing strip enclosed in the folds of the latter.

4. A center plait folder for a sewing machine comprising an inner reinforcing strip guideway provided with means at its delivery end for drawing in the edges of said reinforcing strip; an

40 outer guideway, for a wider center plait strip,

comprising an inner wall at the side of the reinforcing stripembracing its edges, and thus enclosing the inner guideway for said strip, said outer guideway also comprising an outer wall spaced from said inner wall but embracing the edges of the inner guideway, with portions at both sides of the latter, for info-lding the margins of the center plait strip around the edges of the reinforcing strip; and a further guideway forming a prolongationof the aforesaid outer wall of the outer guideway beyond the inner wall of the latter and the delivery end of the inner guideway, for confining the folds of the center plait strip while the reinforcing strip expands therein to full with, and for transmitting the folded center plait strip with the edges of the expanded reinforcing strip' engaged in the creases of the folds.

5. A center plait folder for a sewing machine comprising an inner reinforcing strip guideway provided with means at its delivery end for drawing in the edges of said reinforcing strip; an outer guideway, for a wider center plait strip, comprising an inner wall at the side of the reinforcing strip embracing its edges, and thus enclosing the inner guideway for said strip, said outer guideway also comprising an outer wall spaced from said inner wall but embracing the edges of the inner guideway, with portions at both sides of the latter, for infolding the margins of the center plait strip around the edges of the reinforcing strip; and a further guideway forming a prolongation of the aforesaid outer wall of the outer guideway and bending upward beyond the inner wall of the latter and the delivery end of the inner guideway, for confining the folds to the center plait strip and expanding the reinforcing strip into them, and for delivering the completed center plait into the plane of fabric feed in the sewing machine.

WILLIAM D. GOODWIN. 

